Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. SeussWant to vote for your favourite Dr. Seuss story? Click here.
Beloved children’s author, Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, has always been a favourite at our house. His children’s books are widely read, still today 18 years after his death, by not only kids, but teenagers and adults too. We thought it would be fun to share some interesting things we’ve learned about him over the years.
The Cat in the Hat is famous in the children’s literature world for its vocabulary of only 223 words (specifically requested at the time by a publisher of textbooks for children), but another favourite, Green Eggs and Ham, was written using only 50! Amazing - to create a complete story including a challenge and resolution, action, and a number of characters, using only pictures and 50 words.
“Ted,” as he was known to friends and family, was fluent in both English and German, having grown up in a German speaking household in Massachusetts.
Can you guess what his personalized license plates read? While “CAT HAT” would have been fun and “SEUSS” would have been obvious, the car this author and artist drove around town read “GRINCH”.
Simpsons fans may be interested to learn that this famous children's author grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Seuss fans will be intrigued to learn that there is a real Mulberry Street in the Massachusetts town of Springfield.
First wife Helen Palmer was also a successful author of children’s books, including A Fish Out of Water.
A recurring character in the Seuss stories, was a young boy who let his imagination soar, such as Gerald McGrew in If I Ran the Zoo. Theodor’s own father was responsible for the municipal zoo in Springfield, Massachusetts, for 30 years. A large part of the appeal of his stories is not only the engaging characters, the imaginative stories, and the use of rhythm and rhyme, but also the wonderful drawings. He was a stickler for the accurate reproduction of his original colour in each published book.
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